Inseam fastening machine



\ June 27, 1944. I AYERS INSEAM FASTENING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1941 frzz/ Patented June 27, 1944 UNITED SEA'IEd Eur oFrI 9 Claims.

This invention relates .to machines for securing the uppers to the innersoles of shoes and has for an object to secure by the same fastening means a slit or folded strip simulating or used as a welt.

Another object is to provide a guide for the machine by which the welt or Welt simulating strip is presented to the fastening mechanism so that the fasteners are placed through the inner edge of the strip, their outer faces lying between adjacent layers of the strip.

A further object is to close and secure these layers together automatically after the fasteners have been placed.

The invention will be further described herein as applied to an inseam sewing machine of the straight needle type. a

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a Work feeding member for the fastener inserting machine showing a strip guide carried thereby.

2 is a. perspective view showing one form of strip which may be used.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of theparts shown in Figure l, but with a strip in position.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 3, but showing the mounting and driving means for the feeding member.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevation to a larger scale than Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, of the work-engaging and feeding portions of the machine showing in section a shoe and strip in position therein.

Figure 6 is a detail section on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a section similar to a portion of Figure 5, but showing the strip closed.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary section through the inseam portion of a shoe to the making of which the machine is applicable.

Figures 9 and .10 are views similar to a portion of Figure 5, but showing modified constructions.

As previously noted, the invention is illustrated in connection with a straight needle inseam sewing machine though it is .not limited in its broadest aspects thereto. Such a machine includes as a shoe feeding element a ring l provided with a ribbed work engaging periphery and shown as provided with a hub portion 2 which is journaled on a shaft 3 having an enlarged head 4 at its outer endand against which head the feed ring l bears. This shaft 3 is fixed against rotation .in a bracket .5 which may be tilted about a shaft 6, as is well known in the art,

to allow the wheel l to be lifted from a work feeding wheel l9 carried by a rotary shaft l I to facilitate insertion and removal of work therebtween. The feed wheel 10 is rotated to feed the work and the ring 1 is likewise rotated. For this purpose the rear end of the hub 2 is shown as provided with one or more driving lugs I4 each of which may be engaged in a notch l5 in the hub it of a gear IT. This gear [1, as shown, is a spiral gear and is in meshing relation to a gear l9 positioned substantially at right angles to the plane of the gear H and secured to a drive shaft 20 journaled in the bracket 5. This shaft 28 may be rotated, as is well understood in the art, preferably through a universal joint which permits the desired extentof tilting of theshaft 3 about the axis of the shaft 6 without interfering with the rotating connections to the ring i. It will be noted that the shaft 3 is not rotatable about its own axis sothat its beach! is stationary except for the up and down tilting motion permitted for the insertion of or removal of work from between the feed ring I and the feed Wheel 19.

The head 4 is provided with an outward extension from a portion only of theouter end-of the head, terminating at one side in a substantially upright wall member 26, the upper end of which may slope backwardly against'the direction of motion of a .Welt or welt simulating strip 21, as shown best in Figure 3. This strip isguided through a V shaped slot 28 through the portion 25, this slot opening out through thewall 26. This slot 28 is arranged with the apex of the V at 219 closely adjacent to the periphery of the feed wheel I, so that, 'asshown in Figure 3, the strip 2? passes through the slot in a downwardly inclined manner andpasses out from the slot at the face Ziiclose to the periphery of the ring I near to its lowest point. This extension 25 is closely adjacent to one side of a fastener inserting element such as the straight needle 34! which passesdown and intersects the projection of the slot 23 beyond the face 26 substantially centrally of the apex of the strip 2'5. Thus, whenthe upper margin and innersole lip of a lasted shoe are presented between the ring I and the wheel ill, the apex of the strip ;2lis delivered from theslot sube stantial-ly against theouter face of theshoe upper 35 at substantially the level of the lower facevof the innersole 35, the shoe being presented on edge as shown.

The fastener inserting member or .needle' ,30 passesbetween the layers 38 and 390i theflstrip 21 as they are separated-bythe tongue 40 ,between the limbs! of the V shaped slot, sothat when a shoe such as shown in Figure 5 is presented to the machine with its upper margin 42 and a marginal portion 43 of an innersole between the ring 1 and the feed roller l0, the needle places stitches through the apex of the strip 2'! between the open sides 38 and 39 thereof and through the portions 42 and 43 of the shoe as shown at 45 in Figure 5. The outer faces of these stitches thus lie between these portions 38 and 39 inwardly of the outer edge oi the strip. It is preferred to bring the portions ;38 and 39 of the strip 21 together and secure them after the stitching or other fastening elements have been inserted, and to this end a suitable cement may be run in between these layers 38 and 39 as through a pipe 48 extending back of the extended portion 25 and the adjacent area of the head 4 back of this extension. The pressure exerted between the head 4 and the shoe upper 35, as the shoe is held up to the machine by the operator will cause these strip parts 33 and 39 to be brought together, but of course if desired other pressure elements might be employed after the strip and the shoe have been fed past the needle to insure tight securement of these parts of the strip 21 together.

The strip 21 is preferably made by slitting a solid strip inwardly from one edge to a point close to the adjacent edge, though it may be formed, if desired, by folding a strip of the thickness of each of the portions 38 and 39 substantially centrally of its width.

A product resulting from the operation of this machine is shown in Figure 7 wherein it will be noted that the upper 35 and a fabric reinforcement 36 of the innersole are stitched together by a line of stitches 45 which also passes through the adjacent edge of the strip 21 but lies between the sides thereof which are securely cemented together. It is then possible to trim off the projecting portions of the upper and innersole rein-- forcing fabric 36 or to fold inwardly the reinforcing fabric to cover over the stitches and cement its margin back against the lower face of the layer 36, the strip 21 being then utilizable either as a welt for securing an outer sole by outersole stitching, or as a locking strip in case it is desired to secure the outersole by cement. Where the cement process is employed and it is desired to form a close edge shoe where there is insufficient extension of the strip 21 from the upper to permit the passage of outersole stitches, the strip 21 may be subjected to a skiving operation which cuts off the lower layer 38 inwardly of the edge of the top layer 39 as shown in Figure 8. The outersole may then be secured by permanent cement to the lower face of what remains of the strip 21 and to the lower face of the inwardly turned margin 43 of the innersole layer 36, as shown in Figure 8. Such a shoe includes the benefit of an inseam stitching or other fastening for securing the strip 21, the upper materials and the innersole together, with the advantages incident to the securement of the outersole by a permanent cement to the inseam portion of the shoe. It also makes possible the effect of using a very thin welt or welt-simulating element without the expense associated with .such a thin element and with a stronger inseam securement than could be produced by the use of such a thin element. For example, for fine shoes at welt strip of 30 of an inch thickness isabout as light as it has been possible to use and such a strip is quite expensive. With the present-invention a strip of an initial thickness of 18 of ses me an inch and with the lower flange 's kived away, produces a final strip thickness at the outer edge of 36 of an inch, while the strength of the inseam securement is that afforded by the 18 inch strip. When the lower layer 38 is cut off, cementing of the layers together will ordinarily not be done, at least with a rubber cement, though the use of a permanent cement may be advisable for added strength of the inseam bond.

In Figures 9 and 10 modifications are shown in which instead of the strip element being slit inwardly from its extreme outer edge, it is slit inwardly as at 45 or 450. from the flesh side or the grain side, respectively, toward the inner edge, and the slot 46 or 46a in the guide is shaped accordingly. This slot may, if desired, be provided with a plow 41 arranged to enter and'open up the slit, or particularly if a portion of the the strip stock has been removed in the formation of the slit, such a plow may be unnecessary. When the slit is made through the flesh side, the main portion of the slot 46 will be upwardly and outwardly inclined, and when the slit is through the grain side, the main portion of the slot 46a will be inclined upwardly and inwardly as shown.

From the foregoing description of an embodiment of this invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as d..- fined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a shaft, a work feed member journaled on said shaft, and a second member between which and said work feed member the work may be fed by said work feed member, said shaft having a transverse guide slot therethrough adjacent to one side of said feed member and extending in the general direction of feed of the work between said members.

2. In combination, a shaft, a work feed member journaled on said shaft, a second member between which and said work feed member the work may be fed by said work feed member, said shaft having a transverse guide slot therethrough adjacent to one side of said feed member and extending in the general direction of feed of the work between said members, and means for rotating said member on said shaft.

3. In combination, a shaft, a work feed member journaled on said shaft, and a needle reciprocable transversely of said shaft adjacent to said feed member, said shaft having a transverse guide slot therethrough extending transverse to the path of motion of said needle for guiding the work for penetration by the needle.

4. In combination, a shaft, and a work feed member journaled on said shaft, said shaft having a transverse slot therethrough adjacent to one side of said feed member for guiding strip material to the face of work engaged by and movable with said work feed member. s

5. In combination, a shaft, a work engaging and feeding ring journaled on said shaft adjacent to one end thereof, said shaft having an extension on one portion of said end, said extension having a slot therethrough transverse to the axis of said shaft and through which strip material may extend across another portion of said end in the general direction of feed of the work engaged by said ring.

6. In combination, a shaft having a head at one end, a work engaging ring journaled on said shaft against said head, said head having anecsection may be passed to lie across a portion of the end of said head, the apex of said V being positioned toward the periphery of said head.

8. In combination, a shaft having a head at one end, a work engaging ring journaied on said shaft against said head, said head having an eccentrically disposed end extension having a substantially flat end face extending transverse to said shaft, and a transverse V slot through said head opening out from said flat face with the apex of the V positioned adjacent to the periphery of said head.

9. In combination, a shaft having a head at one end, a work engaging ring journaled on said shaft against said head, said head having an eccentrically disposed end extension having a substantially flat end face extending transverse to said shaft, and a transverse V slot through said head opening out from said flat face with the apex of the V positioned adjacent to the periphery of said head, and a fastener inserting element reciprocable across the end of said head adjacent to said face and substantially centrally of the projection of said apex so as to pass through the apex of a strip of V cross section extending through said slot and across the end face of said head.

FRED L. AYERS. 

